Mail box



Aug. 3, 1926. l

. W. lJ. HOUDEK l' MAIL Box Filed May 1. 1925 Patented Aug. 3,A 1926.

UNITEDs'raTEs WILLIAM J. HOUDEK, 0F BRI'IT, IOWA.

MAIL BOX.

Application led May 1,

The present invention Vrelates to rural delivery mail boxes and has for its principal object to provide a relatively enlarged compartment for the reception of packages hav ing doors, which may be easily operated to an open or closed position.

Another very important object of the invention is to provide a mail box of this nature, having signals for indicating whether there is Vanything in the boxes or not. Y

Another object of the invention is the provision of a mail box of this nature, having an exceedingly simple structure, one

" which is efficient and reliable in operation,

inexpensive to construction, strong, durable, easy to manipulate, and otherwise well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the above and numerous other ob jects in view, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction, and yin the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the mail box embodying the features of my invention. Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, and

Figure 3 is a perspective View, showing the doors of the lower compartment opened.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the casing 1 is divided into an upper compartment 2 and a relatively large lower compartment 3. A door 4 is hingedly mounted over the front open end ofthe compartment 2 by means of a suitably hinged structure 5, which will hold the door 4 either normally closed or normally opened, and a suitable catch 6 is associated between the edge of the opening and the free edge of the door. A signal 7 is pivoted at 8 to one side of the compartment and may be swung to the vertical position shown in Figure 2, or may be dropped to a non-indicating position.

The open front end of the compartment 3 has hinged thereto doors 10 and 11, the door 11 being adapted to overlap the door 10 when said doors are closed. Brackets 12 extend inwardly from the doors 10 and l1, and have links 13 attached thereto. These links 13 are attached to the ends of the cross bar 14. A plate 15 is fixed to the upper wall of the com- 1925.. Serial No. 27,223.

partment 3 and has a depending inner Aportion 16 provided with an opening through which is slidable the rod 17. The end ofthe rod 17 is attached to the bar 14, as at 18. A stem 19 is slidable through the front of the compartment 3 and is engaged with the front end 0f the'rod 17. The exterior end of the stem 19 is looped to form a handle 20. This stem 19 is notched, as at 21,- which notch is adapted to engage with the apertured plate 22 provided on the front of the compartment 3. llhe connection 18 between the bar 14 and the rod 17 is in the form of a pivot. A spring 23 is engaged at one endy with the rear of the compartment and at its other end with the rear end of the rod 17. A spring 24 is attached at one end to the rod 17 Vand at its other end to the bar 14 and is tensioned to normally hold this bar 14 at an oblique angle to the rod 17. When the doors are closed, the stem 19 may be pulled for sliding the rod 17 and the bar 14, thereby opening the doors through the links 13 and brackets 12. It will thus be seen that the spring 23 is tensioned and the notch 21 ofthe stem 19 is engaged with the plate 22 and the doors will remain in an open position until the stem is slightly lifted tol disengage the notch 21 from the plate 22 at which time the spring 23 will pull inwardly upon the rod 17 and the bar 14, thereby closing the door. The spring 24, by holding the bar 14 as mentioned above, will cause the-deer-10 to closg/n before the door 11, sdtliat said door 11 will overlap said door 10.

On the door 11 there is pivotally mounted an indicator 26 in the form of an arrow, which may be rested against either pin 27 or pin 28, so as to point toward suitable indicia provided on the door 11, so as to indicate whether or not the compartment 3 is empty or has a package therein.

It is thought that the construction, operation, and advantages of the invention will be clearly understood without a more detailed description thereof. If desired, a suitable member 29 may be provided at any desired f place on the casing for holding a main part. 1t will also be apparent that numerous changes in the details of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of'parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed or sacrificing any of its ad? vantages.

Having thus described my invention7 what being attached to the end of said bar, a spring connected to the rod and to the'bar for normally holdingthe 'barat an oblique angle to the rod, a'spring attached to the rod for .normally yholding .the doors closed, a steni slidably mounted through one Wall oi the VAcompartment and engaged with the rod and having a notch which may be engaged With the yWeill -toholdfthe doors open.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature.

' `W1ILLIM LT. HOUDEK. 

